Ahmedabad, March 8 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Gujarat on March 12, where he will lay the foundation stone for the development project of Gandhi Ashram located in Sabarmati. The Prime Minister's visit is anticipated to include significant programs related to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with expectations that the BJP will declare all its candidates by March 12. There are 11 seats for which candidate names are yet to be announced, and if finalized, the Prime Minister may also meet with all the candidates.
The development project of Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, an internationally renowned site, is considered a dream project of the Prime Minister, with an estimated expenditure of around Rs 1200 crore.
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to be at Sabarmati Ashram on March 12 from 10 am to 11.30 am, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah likely to be present as well. The Prime Minister is expected to address a meeting at the open ground next to Abhay Ghat near Hriday Kunj of Sabarmati Ashram.
The Government of Gujarat has established the Mahatma Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram Memorial Trust to oversee the implementation of the ashram project, which has led to the relocation of around 250 families living in the ashram premises. These families were originally brought to the Ashram by Mahatma Gandhi in 1917, and all but one or two have now been rehabilitated.
Since assuming office, Prime Minister Modi has made Sabarmati Ashram a focal point for hosting world leaders. Notable visits include Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2017, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018, and US President Donald Trump in 2020. Sabarmati Ashram was also where PM Modi launched the two-and-a-half-year festival celebrating 75 years of India's independence. The ashram's redevelopment, announced in 2021, has been hailed as Modi's visionary project.
